The game originally had four rules that weren't necessarily going to be needed for the main set, but were going to be needed in the long run, if we got there.

1. The timing rule for things happening to different players at the same time.2. The timing rule for things happening to the same player at the same time.3. The tracking rule for duration cards (at the time without a special type).4. The "lose track" rule.

The main set only required the 1st of those, so that's the only one it got. It would be weird to have included rules that didn't do anything. And we can't add them now either - we have to have the rulebook from the German version, in order to use the SdJ logo.

The idea was to add these rules to the expansions where needed. Seaside kinda sorta needed #2, and got it. It doesn't matter on the actual cards, as of Seaside, but maybe someone would ask, "do I get my Wharf cards before my Tactician cards or vice-versa." It ended up mattering for Outpost eventually, so hooray.

#3 was also needed for Seaside. It's a general rule I've used in multiple games - keep cards out until the end of the last turn that they do something in.

#4 is more esoteric. It was needed for Throne / Mining Village, but I didn't catch that in time. I wrote the FAQ assuming the rule, but left the rule out. Then no-one noticed! There's a ruling in the FAQ and that was enough. Hooray! Until now of course.

The "lose track" rule is this (don't hold me to this precise wording okay): If card A is doing stuff with card B, and something other than card A moves card B somewhere else, card A can no longer keep moving card B. It "loses track" of it.

If you want to handle certain potential cards, you need this rule. A "don't lose track" rule doesn't cut it, because you could really lose track. Consider Throning "Shuffle this into your deck, then +2 Cards."

So this is how this ruling came to be. Throne Room expects to find Mining Village in play, where it put it. Mining Village moved itself to the trash though. Throne Room can't find it there, and so doesn't put it back into play.

It's an esoteric rule that only matters currently for Throne Room / Mining Village. It should have been in the Intrigue rules but isn't. I haven't posted it because I don't want there to be secret rules that people only know if they read these forums. It doesn't matter though - you don't need to know it, except for that one case, which is in the FAQ at least.

I have been trying to avoid needing the rule in other expansions, although I will need it eventually. I have been avoiding it because, you know, it's this odd thing. The easiest way to explain it was to talk about "card A" and "card B." It's not pretty. There are things you can't do without it though, and eventually I do them. And did with Mining Village.